Tagliabue Blitzes Field

THE HAMBLETONIAN

`Suzie' Flops

August 6, 1995|By VINCENT M. MALLOZZI New York Times News Service

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - — Sure, nothing is a sure bet in sports, but no one could have predicted the disastrous outing by CR Kay Suzie in the 70th running of the $1.2 million Cadillac Hambletonian at the Meadowlands Race Track Saturday.

John Campbell, who drove Tagliabue to victory in the Hambletonian final in 1:54.4, stole CR Kay Suzie's thunder. Campbell won his fourth Hambletonian and 13th million-dollar race.

Tagliabue, the son of Super Bowl, the last horse to win trotting's triple crown, finished 21/4 lengths ahead of Abundance.

Campbell and Tagliabue, who paid $3.60, $3 and $2.60, made their move down the backstretch of the one-mile race, bursting past Giant Hit and never relinquishing the lead.

Abundance, driven by William Fahy in the final, paid $8.80 and $5.80, and Giant Hit finished third, returning $3.20.

Despite Campbell's theatrics, most of the people who tuned into Saturday's race on television or showed up at the track, never got to see the show they had been waiting for.

CR Kay Suzie, an overwhelming favorite to win harness racing's most prestigious event, broke stride midway through the backstretch in her division of the elimination heat, finishing sixth in the seven-horse field and failing to qualify for the final.

With dark storm clouds building on a hot day, CR Kay Suzie, a 1-9 favorite driven by Rod Allen from post No. 7, battled for the lead with Giant Hit just before the half-mile pole. At that point, she suddenly broke stride and proceeded to fall 12 lengths behind the leader.

Sensing that his horse needed to finish anywhere from first to fifth to qualify for the final, Allen desperately struggled with CR Kay Suzie's reins to try to get his champion filly back on track.

Around the final turn, many of the 26,000 spectators, already out of their seats, began screaming as Allen whipped CR Kay Suzie hard, trying to push her into fifth place past Deliberate Speed and Climbing Bud. As CR Kay Suzie finished one-half length out of fifth place, the crowd let out a huge sigh of disappointment.

"I'm not really sure what happened," said Allen. "I pulled her out when I thought the time was right, but maybe she just overstepped herself.

"They stayed as close as they could," said Allen, talking about the opposition's strategy. "I guess she just wasn't ready for that."

The filly entered the race with career earnings of $894,631 and had established her unbeatable reputation by setting records on three different sized tracks last season.

"I'm sorry she disappointed people," said Allen. "But she didn't disappoint me. She's still a great filly. She's still done more than any other horse has."

The Hambletonian win was the first for a brother combination. Campbell's brother, Jim, trains the colt.

The crucial moment for Tagliabue - named after NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue - came in the first heat when he broke stride at the top of the stretch while leading. However, Campbell, harness racing's leading career money winner among drivers, quickly got the colt back in stride and rallied to win, also in 1:54 4/5.

"It's a great feeling," said John Campbell, who is now tied for most Hambletonian wins with Bill Haughton, Ben White and Stanley Dancer. "It's even more special when it's with Jimmy."